HBO’s The Pacific introduced viewers to Robert Leckie (James Badge Dale) and Eugene Sledge (Joseph Mazzello), two veterans of the Pacific theatre, and both of them lived long and interesting lives far beyond their wartime exploits. While the series makes an effort to show the consequences of their combat experience, it still doesn’t quite do them justice. The dehumanizing nature of the war against the Japanese Empire is explored in-depth throughout the show through the eyes of Leckie and Sledge respectively, showing the viewers that The Pacific is undeniably much more brutal than Band of Brothers, the show's Western Front counterpart.
Both Leckie and Sledge enlisted in the United States Marine Corps, with the former taking part in the Guadalcanal, Cape Gloucester, and Peleliu campaigns, and the latter in both the battles for Peleliu and Okinawa. Their journeys through the battlefield are displayed harrowingly throughout the ten-episode course of this HBO miniseries, and this is crafted as closely as possible to the true story thanks to the books and memoirs by both individuals. The show leaves off with Leckie seeking his love interest, Vera, who he will go on to marry, while Eugene battles PTSD, struggling to fit back into the civilian life that he left behind and going on to apply for Auburn University (then Alabama Polytechnic Institute). With that being said, it remains the case that there is much that The Pacific leaves out about the true story.
The show itself does a good job of portraying Leckie’s true love for writing. Both before and after the war, Leckie’s career would surround writing, eventually going on to write his most successful book, Helmet for my Pillow. In fact, Leckie’s life would become dedicated to American Military history, with over 40 books to his name. Contrarily to Leckie, Sledge had less of a profound love for writing, but still kept note of his experiences in the Pacific, eventually compiled into his memoirs published in 1981, With the Old Breed: At Peleliu and Okinawa. After the war, Sledge would go on to spend much of his life at University - both Auburn and Florida - so much so that he not only received a doctorate but became a professor at Montevallo until his retirement. Throughout the show, the tighter focus on its protagonists is something The Pacific does better than Band of Brothers, allowing the viewer to both better relate to Leckie and Sledge, so it's natural that many finished the series wondering how the pair got on after the events of the show itself.
Despite Leckie and Sledge having a mutual friend, Sidney Phillips, it’s unconfirmed if the two ever met. Any meeting between the two remains unconfirmed by their written histories and will most likely remain that way since both Robert Leckie and Eugene Sledge sadly passed away in 2001. Leckie passed away aged 81 after struggling with Alzheimer’s, while Euegene passed away aged 77 after a long battle with stomach cancer.
For many, both Band of Brothers and The Pacific sparked a love for gritty, realistic WWII action-dramas, not only in their faithfulness to the equipment and aesthetic of the era but also in terms of understanding and learning about the individuals that fought. Those very people are also in luck, for another Band of Brothers sequel has been revealed, Masters of the Air. Much in the same way that The Pacific sought to remain faithful to the real-life characters of Leckie and Sledge, Masters of the Air will look to bring this lens to the air combat of the era, which is often overlooked.
The Pacific is itself often overlooked in favor of its European theatre counterpart, but it cannot be denied that both shows do something expertly. The lives and heroic deeds of these individuals have been faithfully brought to life for the viewer. While the stories of Leckie and Sledge are a tiny fraction of those that fought, the show humanizes a conflict that has become popularized, allowing the viewer to appreciate the lives and sacrifices of individuals such as Leckie and Sledge from a new perspective.